Growth of $10,000 invested in the S&P 500 since 1980
A fully-invested portfolio has compounded through every crash, war, recession, and pandemic since 1980. $10,000 invested in 1980 grew to approximately $1.1 million by 2024 (with dividends reinvested). Attempting to time entries has historically cost more than it saved.
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ALAN INTELLIGENCE · alanglobalintelligence.com
ALAN IntelligenceData as of 2026-11-10
Past performance is not indicative of future results. This material is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice, an offer to buy or sell any security, or a recommendation. Data from publicly available sources believed to be reliable but not guaranteed. All investments involve risk, including possible loss of principal.
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ALAN GLOBAL INTELLIGENCE · alanglobalintelligence.comSource: S&P 500 price index (the chart excludes dividends, so it sits below the total-return figures quoted in the text) · Computed 2026-11-11
What history says
Editorial commentary written by ALAN analysts. Figures cited below are analyst-authored context — they are not derived from the chart above and may reflect different windows or sources.
$10,000 in 1980 became approximately $1.1 million by 2024
That is a ~11% annualized return over 44 years, through 7 recessions, 4 wars, a pandemic, and countless 'this time is different' narratives. Staying invested was the strategy.
Missing the 10 best days cuts the terminal value by more than half
An investor who missed just the 10 best S&P 500 days over 44 years would have approximately $500K instead of $1.1M. Those 10 days — out of ~11,000 trading days — were that important.
Time IN the market is the only reliable edge available to individuals
Professional traders have speed, information, and technology advantages. The one advantage individual investors have is the ability to be patient. Exploit the advantage you actually have.
For your portfolio
Structure your finances so nothing can interrupt the compounding: an emergency fund and insurance sized so that job loss or a surprise expense never forces an equity sale matter more than any optimization inside the portfolio itself.
For information and research only. Not investment advice. ALAN does not place trades or execute orders. Figures come from the sources shown and can lag the market; verify independently before making decisions. Past performance is not predictive of future results.
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